Mine-car door



Jan. 30, 1923. 1,443,857

E. F. TUBACH. MINE CAR DoqR. V FILED Dec. 30. 1921. v 2 SHEETS'SHEET I amuentoz Jan. 30, 1923. 1,443,857

Er F. TUBACH. MINE CAR DooR.

FILED DEC. 30, 1921- 2 SHEETS'SHEET 2 MAL /l///l/////.

amwwtu Patented Jan. 39.1%23.

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EMIL F. TUBACH, OF DUSHORE, PENNSY'LVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF C NE-HALF TO ARTHUR L. TUBAQH, 01E DUSHORE, PENN'YSLVANIA.

MINE-CAR noon.

Application filed December-30, 1921. Serial No. 525,962.

to be a full, clear, and exact description of v the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved mine car door and is an improvement over the construction shown in my prior Patent 1,221,112.

One object of the invention is to provide a car door of the type referred to-wherein the door may be mounted in the rear end portion of the car by means of a rocker shaft for swinging movement into and out of a closed position and to so construct the rocker shaft that an extension thereof may be engaged by an improved type of latch to releasablyh'old the door against swinging movement to an open position.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the latch that it may of its own weight normally hang in an operative position with its bill portion extending over an arm extension of the rocker shaft.

Another object of'the invention is to so construct and mount the latch that when moved to a releasing position, the arm extension of the rocker shaft-may swing upwardly against the side ofthe bill portion of the latch and prevent the latch from moving to an operative or looking position until the door has returned to a closed po sition. I 1

Another object of the invention is to so construct this latch that it may be operated by a person standing at one side ofthe coal car thus making it unnecessary for the operator to stand in front of the'gate where he is liable to be injured by the gate swinging to an open. position unexpectedly.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved latch construction which may be very easily and quickly applied andwhich will be very strong and durable and easy to operate. I

This invention is illustrated in the companying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view showing a mine car in end elevation with the gate applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a view showing the rear end portionof the mine .car in side elevation with portions thereof shown broken away. Figure 3 is a view showing one side portion of the mine car in end elevation with the latch moved to a releasing position. Figure 4; is a view similar to Fig. 2showmg the latch released andthe door swung outwardly to its initial position after'releasing of the latch.

improved end Figure 5 is a view showing the car'in a dumping position with the'door swung open and material passing out of the car.

l igure 6 is a perspective view of the rocker, shaft and latch.

The mine car which is indicated in general by the numeral 1 is provided with the usual wheels 2 so that the mine car may move along the rails 3 from the ppint of filling to the tipple where the car is to be emptied. The door is of a construction somewhat similar-to that shown in the prior patent referred to and is provided with an upper. section at and a lower section 5, the upper section and lower section being secured in spaced relation by inner and outer vertically disposed strips 6. The outer strips 6 extend beneath the lower'edge of the door as'shown in Figs. 2 and 4 so that the extended end portions of these outer strips may provide finger extensions 6t for engaging the abutment blocks 7 and cause the door or gate to move from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that-shown in Fig. i when the latch is moved'to a releasing position and the door receives its initial movement towards an open position. in order to mount the door for,swingingmovement into and out of a closed position, there has. been provided a shaft 8 which extends longitudinally. between the upper and lower car upon opposite sides of the open rear end. By having this gate mounted as shown, it will be pern'iitted a swinging movement from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in- Fig. -11: when the latch is first released andwill remain in-the position shown in Fig. el. until the car is tilted at the tipple. as shown inFig. When the car is tilted as shown inl ig. 5, thegate will swing outwardly and the coal or other material passing out of the car will swing it to the position shown thus leaving the open rear end of the car clear so that coal may pass readily out of the car.

In order to releasably hold the end gate or door in a closed position, there ha been provided a latch which pivota ly mounts-fl by means of a pivot element 12 carried by a bracket- 13 secured to the outer face of the upper door section l. This latch is provided with a bill portion 1% and a shank portion 15., the bill portion extending to one side of the shank portion and bent to extend outwardly from the door clearly shown in Figs. and 4. The shank portion 15 extends downwardly and passes through an eye 16 carriedby the lower door section and is then bent to provide a handle er:- tension 1'7 which extends through an eye 18 and terminates adjacent one side oi the door. The bill portion. 1a terminates adjacent the lower edge of the upper door section and when in the locking position extends above an arm 19 which extends outwardly from the shaft 8 in a substantially horizontal plane. This arm extension is formed by crimping the shaft intermediate its length. The adjacent portions of the door sections are cut away as shown at 2 so that the arm will be permitted a. vertical swinging movement during movement of the gate to an open position. ll having the latch pivot-ally mounted as shown. and provided with the handle extensionews tending towards the side of the gate, the latch will normally remain in the position shown in Fig. 1 with the bill portionextending above the arm 19 and therefore the latch will normally be in a posit-ion to prevent the rocker shaft 8 from moving to permit movement of the gate to an open posit-ion. l l hen however the latch is swung to the inoperative position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and pressure of the coal againstthe gate swings the gate outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 4%, the arm will swing wpwardly and by engaging one side of the hill portion of the latch, prevent the latch from returnin:;- to an operative position. Thelatch is to be swung to the releasing position while the coal car is moving along the track and he fore it reaches the tipple. lVhen the coal car reaches the tipple and moves to the dumping position shown in Fig. 5, the door wil be swung outwardly and upwardly to the open position shown and will be held in this position by the coal which is passing out oi the car. After the coal has passed out oi the car and the door swings downwardly towards the closing position, the latch will again return to the operative position above the arm 19 and when the car has returned to the horizontal position on its way back to the place ot'iilling, the door will swing inwardly and the lower end portions (5" of the outer strips 6 will drag over the abutn'ients '4". The door will again be in the positionshown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the car will be readv for filling. It should he noted that since the bill portion of the latch is positioned above the arm 19, pressure of the coal. agai? he door cannot cause a binding action betv. c011 the bill and arm whichwoul-jl prevent the latch from being easily moved to-a releasing position. It will also be notedv that by having, the latch constructed as shown, it can be "formed from a single piececif metal and will be very strong-and durable and of a simple construction.

While I have shown and described my. invention as applied to a. mine car, it will be understood that it may be used for other purposes such as the end gate of a truck or wagon.

I claim:

1. The combination with a door opening, of adoor therein, a. rocker shaft extending longitudinally of the door intermediate the height thereof and having its end portions inthe form of cranks journaled'in the sides or". the door opening, the shat't being provided with an arm extension intermediate its length extending outwardly of the door and having vertical swinging movement as the door and rocker shaft move, and latch means carried by the door for engaging the arm and releasably holding the door against movement towards an opengposition.

2. The combination with a door opening, of a door therein, arocker shaft extending longitudinally of the door intermediate'the height. thereof and having its end portions in the formof cranks journaled inthesides ot the door opening, the shaft beingprovided with a horizontally disposed arm extension intern'iediatc its length, and latch means movahly carried by the door for ex tending above the arm extension to engage the same and hold the rocker shaft anddoor a gai nst outward swin movement.

3. The coni iiination with door opening, of a door therein, a rocker shaft. extending longitudinally ot the doorintermediate the height thereof and having its end portions in the i in of cranks journaled'in the sides or the door opening, the shaft beingc provided with a horizontally disposed arm: extension intermediate its length, and latch means pivc-tally mounted" above the shaft for swinging movement into and outv of means? in the form of cranks journaled in the sides of the door opening, the shaft being provided with an arm extension intermediate its length, and a latch element carried by the door for swinging movement into and out of an operative position, the latch when in an operative position engaging the arm extension to hold the door against outward movement and the arm engaging the side of the latch when the door is moved to an open position to hold the latch in an inoperative position.

5. The combination with a door opening, of a door therein, a rocker shaft extending longitudinally of the door intermediate the height thereof and having its end portions in the form of cranks journaled in the sides of the door opening, the shaft being provided with an arm extension intermediate its length, and a latch element carried by the door for swinging movement into and out of an operative position. and having an operating element constituting a weight normally holding the latch in an operative position above the arm extension to engage the same and hold the door against outward movement.

6. The combination with a door opening, of a door therein, a rocker shaft extending longitudinally of the door intermediate the height thereof and having its end portions in the form of cranks journaled in the sides of the door opening, the shaft being pro vided with an arm extension intermediateits length, and a latch element carried by the door for swinging movement into and out of an operative position, the latch being pivotally mounted above the shaft and having a depending arm-engaging bill portion and a depending shank portion extending,

downwardly to one side of the arm and provided with a handle portion extending longitudinally of the doo In testimony whereof Iv have hereunto set my hand.

EMIL F. TUBAOH. 

